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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26385679">a thrill to press my cheek to</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserenitatum/pseuds/aserenitatum'>aserenitatum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lovecraft Country (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:09:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26385679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserenitatum/pseuds/aserenitatum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You okay?” he whispers, his voice barely audible, too afraid of breaking the calm quiet of the room and she just nods, another deep exhale seeping from her body as she fully leans against him.  </p><p>He still tightens his arm around her, the other arm coming up to adjust the blanket over her form, tucking it under her chin and then using the proximity to sweep his fingertips along her cheek, heart finally settling with the confirmation that she’s real and here and if he shivers a little bit, it’s only because he sometimes can’t believe they made it out of everything alive and together. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Atticus Freeman/Letitia Lewis, Letitia Lewis/Atticus Freeman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>a thrill to press my cheek to</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>these two own my entire heart</p><p>this is set after canon (whatever that may turn out to be)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The crushing feeling around his neck wakes Atticus with a start, gasping for breath and fingers grasping at his throat. </p><p class="p1">His hands come up empty, fingertips pressed against only skin and his heart is racing and his breaths are shallow but slowly everything starts coming back to him, that he’s home, that he’s safe, that it’s in the past, that it was all a bad dream, that’s it’s all over now, that he’s <em>home</em>.</p><p class="p1">He instinctively reaches out, palm smoothing along the sheets to reach out and coming up empty, the space next to him cool to the touch. </p><p class="p1">The residual fear and anxiety from the dream flare up and he rubs at his eyes, urging them to open more even with sleep tugging at his body, willing them to adjust to the darkness hanging over the room. The only source of light is from the window and when he turns to look, his gaze falls on the figure huddled on the wide windowsill, a blanket pulled across her shoulders and legs tucked against her body. </p><p class="p1">Leti smiles when she notices Tic looking at her but doesn’t make an effort to move closer. He doesn’t feel bad about it, appreciates it even, knows that he needs the space to fully calm down from the nightmare and stop feeling like everything is out to get him before he feels comfortable with a human touch — even hers. </p><p class="p1">“Hey,” she says. </p><p class="p1">“What’re you doin’ all the way over there?” he asks with a careful smile, adjusting the sheets so they stop feeling so restrictive around his legs. </p><p class="p1">“Couldn’t sleep,” she whispers but the rasp that accompanies her words tells him that’s not the whole truth. </p><p class="p1">“How bad?” he asks and in her silence, he has his answer. </p><p class="p1">With a low groan, he twists, kicking the covers away and swinging his legs over the edge of their bed, pausing with his hands curled against the edge of the mattress to yawn, so deeply that his body trembles for just a second with its force. </p><p class="p1">Leti’s face is upturned with a tired smile when he stops by her side, and even shadowed he can see the way her eyes trail down his bare chest, gaze appreciative and smile twitching. </p><p class="p1">“I’d have come to bed,” she murmurs but he just mirrors her smile and with an arm under her knees and the other around her back, it’s easy to lift her into his embrace and then take her spot. She settles against him comfortably, familiar and warm and the weight of her in his arms like the type of anchor that makes him feel at peace. </p><p class="p1">Leti presses a small kiss to his neck, over the flutter of his pulse when she presses her forehead to the spot, her next exhale is low and slow, fingertips dragging down the arm he has wrapped around her to cover his hand with hers, fingers tangling and squeezing softly. </p><p class="p1">“You okay?” he whispers, his voice barely audible, too afraid of breaking the calm quiet of the room and she just nods, another deep exhale seeping from her body as she fully sags against him. </p><p class="p1">He still tightens his arm around her, his free one coming up to adjust the blanket over her form, tucking it under her chin and then using the proximity to sweep his fingertips along her cheek, heart finally settling with the confirmation that she’s real and here and if he shivers a little bit, it’s only because he sometimes can’t believe they made it out of everything alive and together. </p><p class="p1">Her even breathing makes his own calm, and his eyes slide closed to savour it all, the feeling of her breaths fanning across his neck and chest, the smooth skin under his touch, and the faint smell of her hair products when he twists his neck to press his lips against the side of her scarf where it keeps those curls contained. </p><p class="p1">“Are you?” she murmurs and his lips curve into a smile. </p><p class="p1">“I am now.” </p><p class="p1">She lifts her head and smiles at him with sleep-lidded eyes, and she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. The corners of her mouth twitch, like she knows what’s going on in his mind, and the pull is too strong to resist, his head dipping down to capture her lip in a slow kiss. </p><p class="p1">She gives a short, breathless little laugh before pressing closer, fingers moving up his chest to curl around the back of his neck and keep him in place as her lips move under his. </p><p class="p1">He shifts her slightly to make the angle easier and she moves willingly, twisting and settling, helped along by her tight grip on him, and her fingernails digging into his nape with a welcome sting sparks a heat low in his abdomen and makes him deepen the kiss, intent clear. </p><p class="p1">Her idle hand reaching behind her to tug the blanket away from her body and when his hands skim down her arms, he can feel how warm she is, the blanket no longer necessary. </p><p class="p1">“Off,” she murmurs against his lips and the words may be soft and breathless but they’re still a command he happily complies with, hands drifting under her nightgown to hook into the waist of her undergarment and rip them down her thighs. </p><p class="p1">Leti draws her knees up to help him remove the scrap of fabric, gasping out of their kiss when his hand drifts back up between her legs to part her folds and slick his fingers. </p><p class="p1">Watching the pleasure play across her features is addictive and mesmerising, her eyes no longer sleep-addled but full of desire, her lower lip tugged between teeth to stifle her sharp gasps, the flush that travels up from her neck to her cheeks, warm just like the heat of her in his hand. </p><p class="p1">The pain of her sharp fingernails dug into the muscle of his shoulder spurs him on, just to see how far he can get her before she starts taking back some control, how far she’ll let him take her before seizing it back. </p><p class="p1">He watches and waits, can see the exact moment it happens, her eyes clearing and meeting his, her chin dropping as she surges forward for another taste of his lips, her palm dragging heavy down his sternum, pausing briefly over abs that he tenses on purpose, just to feel the curve of her smile against his mouth and the press of her fingers as she twists her wrist and that wandering hand moves even lower. </p><p class="p1">She presses the full length of her hand against him, firm as she does and he twitches, his own touch on her jumping and her breath comes out haggard, lashes fluttering as her chest rises. She doesn’t break eye contact when she sneaks her hand under fabric and her cool finger closing around his length makes his mind go completely blank. </p><p class="p1">Her hand is gone as quickly as it had appeared as she leans away enough to tug the nightgown up her body, pulling it over her head and flinging it behind her, uncaring of where it lands in favour of moving close again and looping her arms around his neck. </p><p class="p1">Atticus has half a mind to warn her of the fact they’re by the open window but the room is dark and it’s the middle of the night and they’re up three storeys and the feeling of her breasts crushed against his chest is too good to give up. </p><p class="p1">She whines impatiently so with a great deal of reluctance does he pull his hand back, uncaring of the moisture that spreads across her thighs when he does, movements a little hasty as he tries to shimmy out of his loose sleeping pants with her still in his lap but Leti helps by rising to her knees beside his legs and tugging at one pant leg, enough to get one of his legs out so he can move freely. </p><p class="p1">She throws a leg over him and straddles him, guiding him into her until she sinks down with a stuttered exhale, settling with him buried inside her and her head falls back with a low moan, the ecstasy playing across her features and he’s so distracted watching her that the feeling of pleasure overwhelms him, senses heightened by the darkness, the smell and feel of her and his lips are drawn to her neck, wanting more, wanting a taste of the skin there and feeling drunk on her. </p><p class="p1">She gasps when he sucks at her neck, hips jumping and nails digging into his back and sending another shock down his spine that he feels all the way inside her. </p><p class="p1">“Tic,” she breathes and that doesn’t ever get old, the wanton way she calls his name, accompanied by a tentative roll of the hips, guided along by his hands on her cheeks. </p><p class="p1">She rocks down onto him, fingers moving up and into his hair, scratching at his scalp to guide his mouth along her neck while they move together. </p><p class="p1">He nuzzles the spot just below her ear, pressing a soft kiss there and breathes in the smell of them, the musk of sweat clinging to her skin mixed with the generic bath soap he uses that she likes to steal for some reason and the body lotion she uses afterwards and it blinds his senses and knocks him off-guard. </p><p class="p1">He feels safe in her arms even if the fear of losing her is paralysing at times, but they’ve been through so much together, seen too many horrors to ever be the same people and he knows she has a part of his soul, forever. </p><p class="p1">His rhythm falters as his grip on her tightens and Leti immediately notices, the sinuous roll of her hips slowing as she takes his face into her hands and guides his lips to hers for a slow kiss, thumbs smoothing over his cheeks to wipe away the tears there. </p><p class="p1">“Atticus,” she murmurs, still a little breathless when she presses her forehead to his. </p><p class="p1">He could drown in the mistakes of his past but kissing her is easy so with a soft shake of the head to brush all the bad away, he tilts to capture her lips, trying to pour the words through the connection, all that he can’t say and all that he doesn’t need to because her mouth twitches and she shifts over him again, hips twisting deliciously and making stars explode behind his eyes. </p><p class="p1">He lifts his hips to meet her on the next thrust and her whole body shakes, hand flying to his shoulder to hold onto him and the sound of her moan stuck in her throat makes him press harder, fingers curling around her thigh. </p><p class="p1">He grips hard but before he even has a chance to worry about bruising her she moans again, long and low from the back of her throat as her head lolls back with the pleasure of their bodies rocking together and his hand doesn’t stay there long, sliding up the firm muscle of her leg and twisting so he can snake between them, fingers at an awkward angle as he does yet still managing to find her, rolling his thumb over her and on the next thrust, she comes down hard, pausing for a moment as her eyes roll to the back of her head, fingernails digging so deep he has half a mind to worry about her drawing blood. </p><p class="p1">“Keep going, Leti,” he taunts, clearing his throat when he realises how low it had been but he can feel the ripple effect his words have on her, the muscles in her back trembling under his hand and her sex quivering around him. </p><p class="p1">“Help me,” she whines and he doesn’t need to be asked twice, tightening his arm around her and curling his hand to grip, easily shifting her up and back down again and her eyes open long enough to meet his, the display of his strength making her eyes go dark with desire and the sight makes goosebumps break out over his skin. </p><p class="p1">Her hips roll in time with his thrusts and he only has to flutter his thumb over her a few more times before she falls apart, head falling back as she lets out a cry that he doesn’t even attempt to stifle because her neck looks so inviting that he can’t resist, lips finding the spot that drives her crazy and drawing a strangled moan from her, dropping kisses in time with the movements of his fingers and drawing out her pleasure. </p><p class="p1">“Tic,” she sighs as her fingers slide into his hair, fingers curving around the back of his head, urging him up and when he lifts his head, the sight of her lazy, sated smile makes him want to pause this moment so he can keep it forever, the exhaustion in her eyes not even dimming the love pouring out of her. </p><p class="p1">The kiss is messy and breathless because she plants a hand on his shoulder and rolls her hips over his, flames sparking to life low in his belly at the rush of ecstasy. She presses the length of her torso against him, hard nipples against his chest and his lower back burns with the effort of keeping the angle but it’s all worth it for the way Leti tightens and loosens around him as she moves over him, movement precise and calculated as she draws him closer to the edge.</p><p class="p1">She pulls away from his mouth, lips dragging heavy along his jaw as she keeps her hips rolling and she flicks her tongue along the shell of his ear and Tic’s hands tremble on her skin. He can feel the curve of her smile, proud of the effect she has on him and proud of how well she knows his body and then she breaks him, lets out a low, needy whine just as her hips twist and her nails dig into his shoulderblade, and when that raspy, low voice whispers, “Come on,” he soars, entire body shaking with the force of it, hands gripping to hold her hips still as he spills. </p><p class="p1">He has to squeeze his eyes shut with the rush, the blinding warmth exploding inside him and his legs are still trembling when she gives a little huff of laughter, breath fanning across his neck so he opens his eyes slowly to take her in, the proud pull of her grin and the warm, loving look in her eyes. He surges forward to kiss her, slow and deep as they finally come down together and she shifts enough to still be close but not uncomfortable in his lap. </p><p class="p1">She shivers when he runs his palm down her spine, pulling away and eyes slipping closed and even with her eyes shut he can feel the heaviness creep into her again, arms growing heavy around his neck so he stays close, brushes his lips against her cheek, her jaw, her forehead, settling with a long kiss against her temple. </p><p class="p1">The demons sneak back into them, like the connection between them is all that had kept them at bay and his own breaths come out a little shaky, having nothing to do with the rush of pleasure from before and everything to do with the horrors they’ve seen and shared. </p><p class="p1">“It’s okay,” he says but he’s not sure if it’s meant more for her or for him. </p><p class="p1">Leti shoots him a small smile, wry, and her eyes are only half-open but the tips of her fingers are firm when she drags them under his eyes, coming away glistening from his tears and he hadn’t even noticed them but neither feels the need to mention it. </p><p class="p1">She shifts onto her knees and for a second he’s afraid she’s going to stand but all she does is swing it over his lap to join her other leg, squirming so that her side is pressed against his chest, curled into him enough for her to still drag her mouth along the curve of his jaw. </p><p class="p1">His arms come around her like instinct, tucking her closely and keeping her warm and safe. </p><p class="p1">“You know…” she starts, and her voice may carry a strain from the terrors that seem to haunt the both of them at night, but she also sounds playful, like she’s trying to get him to bite. </p><p class="p1">He gives a soft, questioning hum, lips against the side of her head as she tucks her legs against her body. </p><p class="p1">“I think I really like you, Private Freeman.” </p><p class="p1">His shoulders shake with his muted laugh, her body moving with his and he wants to shake his head, exasperated but hopelessly in love with the look she shoots him and the line of her smile and the cute dimple denting her cheek. He presses a kiss to the spot before seeking out her lips, mouths moving over each other as the love pours between them, comforting and settling. </p><p class="p1">“Good,” he says when they part. </p><p class="p1">“That’s all you’ve got to say to me?” </p><p class="p1">“I think I like you too,” he murmurs and then drops his voice low as he moves closer to her ear, a whisper and a taunt all in one. “Mrs. Freeman.” </p><p class="p1">She tries to hide her reaction and he wants to compliment the valiance of it, but they’re pressed so closely, and he knows her so intimately that she’s easy to read, the huff of breath and the corners of her mouth twitching against him while her skin flushes, but most of all what gives her away is her thumb dragging over her fourth finger where she’s already gotten used to fiddling with the ring that rests on her bedside table. </p><p class="p1">“Shh,” she chides gently with barely an ounce of conviction. “Not yet. And the walls have ears.”</p><p class="p1">“If they do, we got bigger problems than a secret proposal,” he murmurs in response even as his cheeks feel warmer at the insinuation and Leti laughs softly, lifting her head to look at him with an almost endeared look. </p><p class="p1">She draws him in for a kiss, slow and deep and full of all the words she can’t say. The muscles under his hold firm and relax, her body sinking against him as her hand sweeps down his upper arm, fingers curling around the muscle there and hanging on and he knows it’s less about her feeling him up and more the need to ground herself in the moment with him, to feel and know and confirm that it really is him and that they’re safe and together again. </p><p class="p1">He kisses her even when he feels her idle hand move lower, fingers trembling when she presses the tips to his chest, right over the spot where the bullet meant to kill him would have broken skin had he not had the protection of a spell. </p><p class="p1">Tic covers her hand with his, breaking away from the kiss with a long intake of breath and adjusts her hand on his chest, pressing firmly so she can feel his heartbeat through his ribcage, pressing against her hand, making sure she feels how alive he is. </p><p class="p1">She shivers in his arms, fingers pressing even more into him as she tries to keep the emotions at bay.</p><p class="p1">He kisses her stubborn tears away, the ones that fall from her eyes and trail down her cheeks, that hand never leaving hers as his other one drags down her back and around, thumb brushing over her abdomen where a spell <em>hadn’t</em> protected her and he’d had to watch the light leave her eyes while begging her to stay alive. </p><p class="p1">It’s the nightmare that haunts him the most these days — not the stuff from the war or the ghosts of Winthrop house or any of the other countless things they went through — but the idea that he could have lost her forever in Ardham. It’s what keeps him up late at night watching her sleep, counting her breaths as he watches her chest rise and fall, what makes him hold her just that little bit tighter every time he has to say goodbye no matter how long they’ll be apart, and what makes him cherish every moment he gets with her, even those that they’re angry and short with each other. </p><p class="p1">He treasures those moments even more because the sight of her so full of life is a good reminder that they’re here and together and <em>good. </em>He knows Leti has her own demons to overcome but they take it one day at a time, so he does what he does best and just holds her. </p><p class="p1">That part is easy. </p><p class="p1">He holds her until she looks less like she’s falling apart with the weight of it all and more like herself, gentle smile and tired eyes and breaths slowed, and he reaches up to wipe at the last of the tears, cheek so soft under his touch as she leans into his hand, head turning and puckering her lips to press a lingering kiss to his palm. </p><p class="p1">“Bed?” he asks, sweeping his thumb over her cheek again. </p><p class="p1">Leti shakes her head and moves closer, tucking her face into the crook of his neck again, arms winding around him as she curls up and he shifts his legs so he can have her fully pressed against him, their bodies slotted together like two perfect puzzle pieces. </p><p class="p1">“Let’s just stay here for a minute,” she murmurs, fingers blindly grasping for the abandoned blanket and sighing when he unfolds it over their cooling bodies. “I like this.” </p><p class="p1">“Naked?” he teases gently and she lifts her head long enough to shoot him a blinding smile. </p><p class="p1">“That too.” </p><p class="p1">She doesn’t say the other thing but she doesn’t need to, and he smiles softly when she settles again, lashes tickling his neck as she closes her eyes. </p><p class="p1">“I love you,” he murmurs against the side of her head and feels her lips widen into a smile. </p><p class="p1">“Mhm-hm,” she hums back and she doesn’t need to say it because he already knows. </p><p class="p1">And she’ll fall asleep like this, content and sated, to the steady beat of his heart under her ear and he’ll carry her back to bed and tuck her in and even asleep, she’ll reach for him when he slides in next to her and they’ll face the new day and all its challenges the same way they fought and conquered all the horrors in their past — together. </p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading and let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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